many replys

[John W. McKone]

>        I'm wondering if these expensive fitted plugs really work for the
>high treble and honing in solid unisons. The cheap foam ones work fine for
>pitch raising and most of the tuning, but I find that it is impossible to
>finely polish solid unisons or tune the high treble with them. John, have
>you also tried the cheap plugs and determined that yours are worth the
>cost?
>
>Dennis Johnson

Yes I have tried the cheaper plugs (including sonic II's) there is no
comparison.  The beauty of the custom plugs lies in their ability to cut
volume without losing those upper frequencies, thus allowing the kind high
treble and solid unison tuning you describe

>I hope we're not beating this to death but: 1) I know a piano teacher who
>is having hearing problems (hopefully the cause is unrelated to her
>profession) who got a pair of the "custom fit" plugs from her
>audiologist.  The first day she wore them she felt very disoriented -
>hearing her own voice inside her head (as with plugged ears).  Is that
>normal and does it just take time to get used to the plugs or..... 2) are
>there different varieties/quality of the "custon fits" out there?  Any
>other specific recommendations other than John M. with the Etymotic
>Research variety?  Also, would you recommend having the option of cutting
>th Db by 15 or 25 - John said he always uses the 15 Db insert anyway?
>
>Jeff Stickney, RPT
>University of Montana
>jpage@selway.umt.edu

Yes, it does take time to get used to the custom plugs.  There is a bit of
a Plugged ear feeling, but it is fairly easy to get used to.

To date I have only used the 15 db filters for tuning, but have found the
25's useful in other situations (i.e. mowing the lawn, and some shop
situations (see below))

>I presume these custom ear plugs are good for shop work as well as
>tuning.  I have earmuffs but to be effective they have to be tight and
>they get really uncomfortable after awhile.  Can I substitute the ear
>plugs for the earmuffs.

>Richard West
>University of Nebraska
>rwest@unlinfo.unl.edu

I use the 25 db filters for general shop work such as running the table
saw, sanders, vacuums etc.  For really heavy duty noise-making stuff like
stringing, and running a router, or a planer, I use the custom 25's PLUS
the earmuffs.

>Ron T., Ron B. or anyone else - Have you gotten your Internet/WWW surfing
>abilities from experience, from your "local net guru", or where?  Would
>the book "Internet for Dummies" be a good place to start to be a little
>more literate?  I get along with our Univ. computer lab, but they're
>there and, when I'm logged on I'm at home.  So I'd rather have a resource
>right here.  Any suggestions?
>
>Jeff Stickney, RPT
>University of Montana
>jpage@selway.umt.edu

"Internet for Dummies" is a good overview of a variety of net features, and
I, for one, think its a good place to start.

As far as the WWW goes, if you have a good graphical browser (like
Netscape, or Mosaic) the proccess of surfing is incredibly intuitive.  If
you already have a browser, I would encourage you to dive right in, and
before you know it you'll have all kinds of favorite links all over the
place.  The Web has all sorts of good search mechanisms that can help you
find want. Try looking for information on the piano though, and you'll be
dissapointed.

John McKone